Order Flowers

Ordering flowers from our site ensures that your order will reach us or the family in a timely manner, and your gesture of support will remain acknowledged in the Book of Memories for future generations. We only work with local florists so we can maintain the sense of urgency and quality of your selections. We thank you for helping to support the family during their time of need, and will fondly remember your kind gesture.

Arzella's Books

There was a time when the local school, indeed the entire community was named after the neighborhood church; a time when a baseball diamond was the center of the community; when families owned the farms that fed them, when the village raised each child and the child respected the village.

It is a time worth remembering.

Arzella J. Valentine remembers again as she has written her second book, "Return to Mt. Olive." Through her poetry and storytelling, she painted portraits of her memories of growing up in the Deep South. Mt. Olive, a small, loving community with a biblical name lives in the hearts of many who once resided there.

Arzella published her first book, "Growing up in Mt. Olive," on her 75th birthday as a spiritual gift to her grandchildren. This second book, "Return to Mt. Olive," is a symbol of faith and perseverance written for her children.

Arzella J. Valentine was raised in Mt. Olive, 15 miles south of Warren Arkansas. She was born January 6, 1927 only months before her father passed away. She learned early that her mother, step-father, uncles, other family members and friends can form a community of love to stand in the gap left by a departed father. The outpouring of love she enjoyed began to express itself as poetry when she was eight years old, largely due to one dedicated teacher who instilled a love of writing. Love has flowed from Arzella's pen ever since.

While running Woods-Valentine Mortuary in Pasadena, California, with her husband and co-owner, Fred W. Valentine, Arzella rekindled her joy for writing by refining her craft for several years at U.C.L.A. At last, after nearly 50 years as an entrepreneur, mother, grandmother and civic servant, she kept a life-long promise to herself: to use her gift for language to express the love, joy, and peace she lived and loved while growing up in Mt. Olive.